


Gibraltar

by kinsale_42



Series: McHanzo [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bottom Jesse, Combat, Enthusiastic Consent, Erotica, Field Op, Graphic Description of Sex, Jack Has Feelings, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Top hanzo, Vague hints of possible historical McReyes, Watchpoint: Gibraltar, life in danger, reactions to fear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 22:05:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13579881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinsale_42/pseuds/kinsale_42
Summary: Jesse and Hanzo are on their first mission since they discovered they both desire each other, and it's hard to tell if it's good or bad to work together. Jesse's vocal reaction to the stress reminds Jack Morrison of his younger days in Overwatch, and motivates him to look out for the two who are still feeling out their relationship. Once the source of Jesse's anger is known, it quickly turns to passion, and Jesse and Hanzo make sure that neither will find their end before they know ecstasy in the other's arms.





	Gibraltar

Endless seconds ticked by. The only sound was the distant surf, and the only movement Hanzo could see between his position and the shifting sea was the twitching of ragged tarps in the breeze. Then came the delicate crackle of the comms in his ear. 

“I’ve got the payload in sight,” whispered Jesse. “Plus three.” 

“On my way,” was Jack Morrison’s gruff reply. A shadow across the road to Hanzo’s right quickly solidified and the figure who self-identified as Soldier: 76 ran silently across a catwalk towards the electrical room where Jesse was hiding. As he passed over a doorway, two more enemy operatives stepped out and turned towards the approaching stolen cargo and its escort. They didn’t appear to hear Jack’s footsteps, but Hanzo’s alert level had increased anyway. They were heading straight for Jesse. 

“Two more,” he whispered into his comm. “From the east.” 

Two plus three. Five. One more was still out there somewhere. “Genji, dammit. Where is the sixth?” Hanzo muttered under his breath. Then, to his horror, he saw the missing sixth criminal step out of a passage to meet the previous two, chatting casually and turning to walk with them towards the rest of their team. Hanzo spotted Jack again as he dodged between ventilation stacks, still two levels above and a hundred yards from Jesse’s location. 

Hanzo swiftly considered his options. He could eliminate two agents with single shots, possibly, before the others were alerted to attack. He could eliminate one and injure the two walking with him by using a scatter arrow, and potentially injure the operatives with the payload, which he still could not see. Or he could call upon his spirit dragons, vaporize the three in his line of sight with the dragonstrike, and startle and deafen the three with the payload, if not kill them outright, allowing Jesse and Jack to easily finish the job. Dragonstrike was always the last resort option, because it would leave him frankly incapacitated for long enough to make him vulnerable to attack. But all six of the enemy crew were right here in front of him. As far as his own team was aware, that was the entirety of the threat. 

He drew his bow, his choice made. “Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!” he howled, loosing an arrow towards the three men as they closed in on Jesse’s hideout. Hanzo’s voice was immediately drowned out by the roar of two spectral serpentine dragons as they chased the projectile, erasing the very existence of the unsuspecting targets. He sat down hard on the stone, his legs weakened beneath him, his ears ringing from the sonic feedback. 

There was the burst of a helix rocket exploding, a smatter of automatic rifle fire, and three clean gunshots that were clearly from Jesse’s revolver. Then the comms exploded in his ear with Jesse’s breathless swearing. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Jesse yelled. 

Hanzo could barely find his own breath to reply. He pushed the button to open comms. “Providing cover,” he answered, his voice weak. He looked up to find his brother standing over him. 

“You could have gotten all of us killed!” Jesse’s voice cracked. 

“McCree, stand down.” Jack’s unemotional tone gave a clear command to end the discussion. “Genji, are there any targets unaccounted for?” 

If he wore an expression beneath his visor, Genji would have been grinning. “No, sir. Your three. Hanzo’s three. All confirmed targets eliminated.” 

Jesse’s continued swearing was audible when Jack opened his comm again. “Well done. Get your brother back to Angela to get checked out. McCree, Tracer, with me. Let’s clean up this mess. 76 out.” 

Genji offered a hand to help his brother to his feet. Hanzo glared up at the armored figure, frustrated as always by the lack of a face on which to focus, but he grudgingly accepted the assistance. Genji pulled Hanzo’s arm over his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around his brother’s waist, knowing he would need the support to make it down the three flights of stairs from the lookout. 

“Ah, Hanzo,” Genji said. “You used your last resort to save Jesse McCree?” 

“The entire enemy contingent was converging on his location, and I was in no danger myself, as is evidenced by your rapid appearance at my side.” 

“Heh.” Genji looked at Hanzo’s face in profile. He easily recognized the defiance that was written there. “At last, brother, you seem to have found someone whose skin you value more than your own.” 

At that, Hanzo’s head turned sharply to face Genji, and he stopped where he stood on the stairs. He felt the heat rise in his face, as all the conflicting emotions that were unleashed joined forces to become anger, giving him strength. “I can continue under my own power,” he said, stiffly, reclaiming his arm from Genji’s shoulders. 

Genji nodded silently, his smile hidden away beneath layers of cybernetic modifications, and they continued together towards the Orca. 

*** 

Within the hour, the cargo that would have been stolen had been hidden in a new, more secure location, and the bodies of three unlucky would-be thieves had been tossed off the cliff to let the tide deal with the remains. The scorch marks where the other three had been vaporized would wear off gradually as the wind and weather did their work. 

Dr. Ziegler had checked Hanzo’s vital signs, and, finding nothing out of the ordinary, gave him a vitamin shot to restore his energy before instructing him to sit down and rest until they got back to base. He grudgingly accepted the direction and took his seat. Hanzo closed his eyes and waited for departure, trying to ignore the tumult that was raging in his head. Of course Jesse was upset, he told himself. He’d been in grave danger, and had not even realized the whole of it until after it had passed. This was exactly what Hanzo had been afraid of, though, that working together would prove to cause more trouble than it was worth. 

Tracer’s bubbly chatter was audible as the rest of the team climbed the boarding ramp, even through the post-dragonstrike hum of Hanzo’s hearing. She fell silent, though, as soon as Jack spoke. 

“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “We’re in good enough shape to wait until we get back to the base for a full check-up, doc.” He didn’t wait for her agreement, but called up to the pilot. “Take us up, Ray.” 

“Roger that,” replied the pilot and began to prep for takeoff. 

Everyone strapped in as the jet engines fired and the small atmospheric craft known as the Orca lifted off. Jesse was sandwiched between Jack and the doctor, his ears still ringing and his eyes still flashing with anger. He paid no mind to the fact that Dr. Ziegler was holding his wrist to check his pulse. He was watching Hanzo as he leaned back against the opposite wall of the vessel, his face still pale, his eyes still closed, looking smaller and weaker than he normally did. Jesse wanted to yell at him. He wanted to smash things. 

Angela released his wrist. “Your pulse is still quite rapid, Jesse. Try to relax.” Her melodic voice barely penetrated his rage. 

“Okay, doc.” 

“You know the post-mission protocol. I will examine everyone in the med unit when we get back. I want to see you first.” 

“Okay, doc. Whatever takes your fancy.” He looked at the clock display on the wall. Twenty minutes and they would arrive back at the old wartime bunker they were using as their local operations facility while in Spain. Jesse sighed. Maybe Hanzo was right, they either shouldn't be working together or they shouldn't be involved emotionally. He wasn't quite sure which option Hanzo would prefer. For that matter, he wasn't entirely sure which one he preferred. 

Forty-five minutes later, Jesse was slouching on the end of an examination table, his shirt off, getting his readings taken. There was a tap on the door and Jack walked in without waiting for a response. Jesse watched idly as the older man rummaged through a few drawers and cabinets, apparently looking for something specific. 

“Okay, Jesse. You can put your shirt back on. Your pulse is almost back to normal and your blood pressure is only slightly elevated. Your temperature is good. Get some food and some rest, and if you have difficulty sleeping tonight, let me know and I will get you something to help you calm down.” Angela glanced over at Jack. “Finding what you need, Jack?” she asked as he pulled a rumpled envelope out of his coat and stuffed a handful of small packets into it. 

“Yeah. Thanks.” Jack folded the envelope in half and handed it to Jesse as he was about to leave. “Here. You’ll want this later.” 

Jesse looked at the envelope and then at Jack’s battle-scarred face before he took it. “Thanks.” He stuffed it into his pocket without further examination of it or its contents, and strode out of the room. 

He headed directly for the canteen, not because he was hungry, but because he figured everyone else would be there. He was wrong. Only Tracer was there, with a cup of tea and some toast. 

“Hiya Jesse! Pass your checkup? Have I told you that the toaster here does proper toast? Only toasted on one side, as it should be.” 

“Yes I did and no you haven't. Say, have you seen Hanzo? I need to have a word with him.” Jesse looked around the room as if the other man might be hiding behind the coffee pot or under a table. 

Tracer shook her head. “Last I saw him, he looked like he might be heading towards the sleeping quarters. I guess that dragon thing really takes it out of him.” 

“Yeah, I guess so. Thanks anyway.” He was gone before she had a chance to offer him a piece of her proper toast. 

Jesse’s pace faltered slightly when he turned the corner to find Hanzo waiting for him in the passageway outside the room where Jesse was bunked with Jack Morrison. 

“Jesse.” Hanzo looked more alive than he had on the flight back. His color was returning, and he felt more vigorous. But the cold knot in his stomach hadn't budged an inch. 

Jesse ignored the concern he thought he heard in Hanzo's voice. He was still too wound up. He didn't even wait to get out of the hallway before unleashing his fury. 

“What the hell were you thinking out there? Did you want to get yourself killed?” Jesse opened the door to the room and Hanzo followed him inside. 

“It seemed to me that you were the one at risk of being killed, and I made my choice accordingly.” Hanzo's tone was flat.

 Jesse whirled on him, nostrils flaring. “Listen to me. Don't you _ever_ risk your life for my sorry ass. It's not worth it.” 

Hanzo didn't back down. If anything, he moved a step closer. When he spoke, his voice was so quiet Jesse almost couldn't hear him over the persistent hum in his ears. 

“My life would not be worth much if you were no longer in it,” Hanzo said. 

“I could say the same thing!” Jesse retorted. 

There was a charged silence. “Could you?” asked Hanzo, carefully. 

Something shifted in Jesse as he realized what he’d said. The understanding of what was really upsetting him became obvious. He’d been terrified that Hanzo would die, terrified that he would die before he’d had a chance to love Hanzo. “Dammit, Han…” 

“Jesse.” Every time Hanzo said his name, it was like he had imbued it with a new layer of resonance, a new level of meaning. It twisted Jesse’s heart in his chest, and his desperate need to be in Hanzo’s arms overcame the last of his dwindling rage. In the next moment he was there, heart pounding, lips crushed against his lover’s. He tossed his hat across the room and Hanzo’s fingers quickly buried themselves in his shaggy chestnut hair, bracing his head against their fierce kisses. 

Jesse’s hands slipped under Hanzo’s shirt, smoothing over the shifting muscles like a sculptor caresses his clay. Hanzo broke off the kiss with a small gasp. 

“Your hand…it's warm!” he exclaimed. 

“Yeah, the heated model doesn't make me ache as much. I… Would you prefer it if I took my arm off? It's pretty sensitive but it's still metal. I don't want to hurt you with it.” 

Hanzo shook his head with a brief, sharp movement. “No, I do not mind it. And I do not injure so easily.” His fingers slid down along Jesse’s jaw and neck and began to unbutton his shirt. Jesse shivered as he felt Hanzo’s touch on the sensitive skin at the base of his neck. His mouth fell open when Hanzo began to kiss his collarbone, sending the flame within him into a roaring fire. He needed no additional incentive to remove his shirt completely. 

Jesse reached over his bunk and switched on the reading light, then turned off the overhead fixture. “Best I can do for mood lighting, sweetpea. I’m sorry this ain't a romantic getaway.” The softer light just made Hanzo seem even more beautiful as shadows dramatically outlined his features. Jesse sat down on the edge of the narrow mattress, his hands at Hanzo's waist, watching as Hanzo removed his own shirt and freed his hair to fall to his shoulders. 

Hanzo leaned down to Jesse's open mouth, exploring inside with his own soft tongue. Jesse's warm hands on his skin were awakening reactions in his body that he hadn't felt in quite a while, especially when he felt them slide up his abdomen and chest. He pushed Jesse back onto the bed, and the lovely, warm hands brought his body along too, until he was lying between Jesse's thighs, their kiss unbroken. Hanzo could feel the cowboy’s heartbeat thundering through him, as insistent as his own. 

Hanzo pulled away just enough to have room to speak, leaning on one elbow and massaging Jesse's thigh with the other hand. “Jesse… I don't know what you want.” 

Jesse's eyes were so alive, even in the shade of Hanzo's curtain of hair. “I think you do. You showed me what you like that night at your place. I got the message loud and clear, and here I am.” 

“But you never… ahhhhhh…never responded.” Hanzo's sentence turned into a soft moan as Jesse slipped his fingers between them and stroked his ever-more-obvious erection through the fabric of his trousers, while moving Hanzo's hand up from his thigh to caress his ass instead. 

“I want you, Hanzo. I want you to take me any and every way you want me. I want you to remind me that I’m alive.” Jesse's voice went a little huskier than usual, a little rough around the edges. He slid his hand out from between their bodies and cupped the corner of Hanzo's jaw, bringing his face back down so they could kiss again. He tilted his hips just a bit so he could rub his own stiffening dick against Hanzo's. 

Hanzo broke away for a minute, unable to contain the sound that was half sigh, half moan. “It feels so good to be with you, to touch you.” 

“Mmmm, imagine how much better it would feel inside me.” Jesse’s smile was seductive, and what he suggested and the way he moved beneath Hanzo made Hanzo dizzy. 

He ran his hand along the soft skin of Jesse’s side, noting but not remarking upon the scar that marked the lower edge of Jesse’s ribs. He felt a twinge inside as he remembered how he’d imagined this happening, how he’d planned to take his time exploring Jesse’s body and making sure that every touch led to heightened pleasure. Instead, he found himself infected with the same frenzy that had captured his lover. He was rougher than he wanted to be, more demanding, more insistent. 

Jesse fumbled with the buttons of his jeans, trying to get them off while maintaining the maximum amount of physical contact he could with Hanzo. The sound of crinkling paper and the feel of irregular, squishy lumps in his pocket made him pause. He tugged the rumpled and abused envelope Jack had given him from where he’d stuffed it not a half hour earlier. Hanzo watched, puzzled, as Jesse looked inside the envelope and laughed out loud. 

“What is it?” Hanzo asked. 

“I think we’ve been clocked, Han,” Jesse said, smiling. It was such perfect timing he couldn’t be angry, or even feel embarrassed. He tilted the envelope so the contents spilled out on his chest. “Jack gave me this when I was done with the doc. Said I’d be wanting it later.” 

Hanzo looked at the little foil squares. Half a dozen condoms and at least twice that many packets of lubricant. He raised an eyebrow. “Well, he was not wrong.” He swept them up and slipped them under Jesse’s pillow, planting a kiss where they had lain across the amber fuzz on Jesse’s chest.  He rolled to the side to help Jesse remove his jeans before adding his own trousers to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. 

“Why did we not remove this too?” Hanzo asked, as he ran his finger along the inside of the waistband of Jesse’s undershorts. 

“I don’t know. They just seem to be in the way, don’t they? I notice you didn’t even bother to have any on.” Jesse hooked his thumbs in his shorts and yanked them off. 

“Not today.” Hanzo ran the flat of his hand firmly up the inside of Jesse’s thigh, lingering to swirl around his balls, his fingertips brushing the sensitive spot behind them. Jesse moaned as Hanzo’s palm glided over his aching cock and circled briefly round the tender head before he applied pressure again, caressing Jesse’s abdomen, following the trail of silky hair up and across his chest. Then he was pulling Jesse’s face to his lips for another deep and urgent kiss, his own throbbing erection pressed hard against his lover’s leg. 

“Turn over,” Hanzo whispered, and Jesse complied immediately. He loved the surprise of not knowing exactly what would come next, and his heart was pounding in anticipation. He closed his eyes so he could focus entirely on other sensory input. 

Hanzo shifted his position again, pushing Jesse’s knees apart as far as he could without pushing his legs off the bed, and lay atop him, Hanzo’s abdomen cushioned by Jesse’s perfect fuzzy peach of an ass. His body yearned to push forward but he reined himself in. He knew it would all be over too quickly as it was, if he could just wait a bit longer, tease Jesse just a bit more… Hanzo began to place kisses at the nape of Jesse’s neck, gently at first, tracing along the valley between his shoulder blades. Gradually they became more intense as he drifted lower, until he was practically nipping at the base of Jesse’s spine, his hands gripping Jesse’s legs where the curve of his butt met his thighs, his thumbs digging in to the tender flesh there. 

Jesse buried his moans in the pillow and ground his pelvis into the mattress. Hanzo was spreading him open; he could feel the heat of Hanzo’s breath in the split second before he felt the warm wetness of his lover’s tongue following the crack between his cheeks, spiraling around the puckered portal there, and then down further to tease his scrotum just a bit before returning to the center. Jesse tried not to squirm at the pleasurable sensations of Hanzo’s lips and tongue teasing his opening, but was unable to control the autonomic reaction to Hanzo’s tongue diving into him. His hips lurched. 

“Ahhh god that feels good, love. Mmmm...damn…” Jesse groaned into the pillow again as Hanzo increased the energy of his actions. And then it trailed off, and Hanzo lifted himself up onto his knees, reaching for a couple of the packets he’d stowed earlier. He leaned over and kissed Jesse on the soft place where his ear connected to his jaw, in that small half circle where the beard didn’t grow. And then those elegant fingers that Jesse coveted were stroking his hole, probing the outer limits of it, slick with cool liquid. He focused on relaxing, and was rewarded by Hanzo sinking a finger in all the way to its base. It was withdrawn almost all the way, then Hanzo began to slide it slowly back in. Jesse couldn’t wait and pushed himself up onto it. 

Hanzo’s hair fell down and tickled Jesse’s cheek as he leaned down to speak softly into his ear. “More?” he asked. 

“Yes, please.” 

Hanzo slipped two digits in and out a few times, rubbing the walls with the pads of his fingers, eliciting another low moan from Jesse. The sound of it was deeply erotic, and Hanzo could no longer wait to feel that vibration echo through their bodies together. He slid down on the bed and pressed the head of his cock against Jesse’s opening. 

“This is what you want, Jesse?” It almost sounded dirty when Hanzo said it. Jesse couldn’t tell if he meant it that way or not. 

“God yes,” he replied, “I want you so bad, Hanzo.”

Fighting every urge he had to rush, Hanzo carefully nudged himself into Jesse. He wanted it as badly as his lover did, but one thing he absolutely could not abide was causing his partner unnecessary or unexpected pain, especially not the first time. He sighed as the Jesse’s heat enveloped him and he gradually relaxed control and let the demands of his body guide him. 

Hanzo’s slow and steady strokes seemed to hit every one of Jesse’s pleasure points. Hanzo's prick was long but slender, elegant as his fingers, and it fit him like it was custom-made. Maybe it was a result of the adrenaline already in his system, but he couldn’t remember feeling this good before. It was as if his body were Hanzo’s bow string and he was lovingly being pulled taut. He arched his body into the motion, letting his lover go deeper, sinking his full length. 

“Jesse,” Hanzo moaned. “I will not last long. You are so delicious.” 

“Mmmmmmm,” Jesse said into the pillow. Fireworks exploded through his body with every thrust, and Hanzo kept up the unfaltering rhythm longer than he would have been able to himself. He curled his fingers around the edge of the mattress and braced himself to give Hanzo a firm landing, grunting with pleasure at every strike. 

“Oh,” observed Hanzo, his voice and breathing both ragged. “You would like it harder?” Without waiting for an answer this time, he lifted Jesse to his knees as if he weighed no more than a feather. Then, leaning over and reaching under Jesse to grasp his rigid and weeping dick with a strong grip, he swiftly sank his own cock to the limit. He gasped as the head hit bottom and his whole body felt like it had gone up in flame. 

Jesse was similarly affected. “Yesss...yes, yes, harder, yes…” It was almost a whimper, his face still half-turned into the pillow, all the most sensitive parts of his body possessed by his lover, pinned between his dick and the iron clasp of his hand. Hanzo barely moved the hand, not possessing enough of an attention span to control it, but it squeezed in cadence with his thrusts and their forward momentum drove Jesse down into it. With every stroke, he got closer and closer to the edge. 

With the world spinning and his skin flushed from head to toe, Hanzo didn’t know how he was still hanging on, but he kept going, biting his lip, his well-trained body maintaining a steady if punishing pace. He was flirting with the limits of ecstasy, lingering in the realm of almost-but-not-quite-there for longer than he thought possible. Then Jesse cried out, and the spasms of his orgasm knocked Hanzo off his precarious perch and he fell down the chasm of pleasure himself, his body jolting and rocking. He buried himself as deep as he could into Jesse as they collapsed together to the bed, Jesse’s hand holding Hanzo’s in place on his twitching organ. 

Hanzo would have loved to have lain there like that forever, but even though he was shorter than Jesse, he knew he was heavy. And he wanted to be sure Jesse was comfortable and dry, so he overcame the inertia and rolled off of his lover, feeling the familiar pang of loss as he slipped out of the warm berth he’d found. Jesse’s only movement was to turn his head to watch Hanzo as he moved around the small concrete-walled chamber. 

“Do you have towels, Jesse?” Hanzo asked as he carefully removed the condom from his softening dick, wrapped it in a tissue, and deposited it in the wastebasket. 

“In the footlocker.” Jesse hadn’t had a chance to really look at Hanzo fully naked until now, and he took advantage of the opportunity. The man was virtually all muscle, and Jesse was delighted to see that the left arm and shoulder tattoo he’d admired was echoed on Hanzo’s right thigh and buttock. An aftershock of pleasure raced through him as he considered objectively that he’d just had sex with this incredibly beautiful creature, and good sex, too. 

Hanzo was pulling a towel out of the footlocker at the end of Jesse’s bunk, and he used one corner to dry himself before he turned to the long-limbed man who still lay completely relaxed on the bed. He reached over and nudged Jesse’s shoulder, lifting him on to his side to expose his wet belly. Jesse’s eyes never strayed from Hanzo’s face, transfixed by the most tender expression he’d ever seen there, and he allowed himself to be gently manipulated and toweled off. 

“Hmm,” Hanzo intoned. “Perhaps it would be best if you showered. I am sure you would feel better clean.” 

Jesse sat up slowly and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. “Will you join me?” he asked, a hopeful note in his voice. 

Hanzo thought of the communal showers and smiled. “Not this time, I think. Another time, when we are in less need of rest, and have more privacy.” 

“Awwww, okay.” Jesse stood up, and leaned over to kiss Hanzo, and what began as simply a gentle, soft kiss quickly became something more intimate. Jesse felt like they connected somehow. He couldn’t think of a better word to describe it. Connected. There was a strange tickle in his chest. _Well and truly smitten_ , he thought. _I am completely lost to this now_. 

Jesse pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt and dug out another towel as Hanzo dressed himself. Before Hanzo could even look at the door, Jesse grabbed his wrist and pulled him close. “Stay with me tonight?” 

“What about your bunkmate?” asked Hanzo. 

Jesse looked at Jack’s neatly made bunk, then back at Hanzo. “Honestly, I don’t think he even sleeps. But he clearly knows about us, so I don’t think he’d mind. I would say we’ve got his support. And your brother, he won’t make a big deal about you not being in your room, will he?” 

Hanzo remembered the insinuations Genji had made after the battle at Gibraltar. “Heh. He probably expects it.” For once he felt distanced from the anger and other difficult emotions that he carried regarding his brother. The afterglow of passion was too strong, too all-encompassing. His tone softened. “I will gather some food while you bathe and meet you back here.” His hand cupped Jesse’s cheek, still pink and marked with pillow wrinkles above the curve of his beard. Then he slipped away, and Jesse stood for a while longer, enjoying the feeling of serene lethargy that had claimed his body. Eventually he shook himself out of his reverie and headed for the shower. 

*** 

“I am concerned.” Angela was leaning on the table over the speakerphone. “If one of our contract operatives is going to create such discord, then we need to rethink our recruitment strategy. 

Jack’s voice came from behind her unexpectedly and she jumped. He’d slipped into the briefing room as quietly as he always did, and it always disconcerted her. It was like he could appear from nowhere. “It wasn’t discord. Jesse was justifiably unsettled. Even the battle-hardened soldier will be distressed if they are trapped and alone with six enemy combatants descending on their position, and nothing more than a revolver and flash grenades in their arsenal.” 

The crackle of static alerted them to an incoming response from the other end of the line. “Ah, Jack. Glad you could join us. I was hoping to get your report.” Winston’s calm voice betrayed no opinion one way or another. 

“Hanzo surveyed the situation, considered his options, and chose what he felt was the most effective method of dealing with the threat, resulting in the success of our mission and the preservation of our team. He did not have the time available to consult with Jesse or anyone else. I would have done the same in his place.” Jack looked at Angela, as if daring her to contradict him. “Hanzo’s dragonstrike neutralized half of the enemy team, allowing myself and Jesse to deal with the other half effectively. And may I say that while combat was ongoing, Jesse maintained control and discipline as trained. I do not think that either of these men are compromised.” 

“I am concerned with the morale and cohesion of the team,” interjected Angela, feeling the need to defend her position. “That is all. If there is some sort of friction between these two, then we need to address it.”

 Jack had to stifle a laugh. _There’s friction, Mercy, but not the kind you’re imagining_. “They are becoming friends and developing more concern for each other’s well-being. I have been in a similar situation myself, as I’m sure you’re aware.” 

There was the click of a door closing on the other side of the conference call. They heard Winston speak to a newcomer, his voice more distant as he turned away from the microphone. “Ana! I’m just on the line with Jack and Angela now. Give me just a moment and we can discuss that recon report.” 

During this, Angela was peering intently at Jack. “Friends? Like you and Reyes were ‘friends’?” she asked quietly. 

Jack stood his ground, meeting her gaze without flinching. He’d recognized it as soon as McCree had started swearing into the comm. How many times had Gabe done exactly the same thing when Jack had performed some act of daring that had saved Gabe’s skin? And there was a little jolt of pain in his gut when it occurred to him that perhaps Jesse had learned the pattern of behavior from Gabe himself, during the Blackwatch ops. 

“So,” said Winston. “It sounds to me like perhaps we have a situation worth watching, but no need for direct response at this time. Jack, do you think there’s any call for corrective action regarding what happened during battle?” 

Jack leaned closer to the mic. “No. I think order was maintained. And I promise you they will be addressing the issue between themselves, probably as we speak.” 

“I think it would be wise to keep an eye on them, Winston. Perhaps to assign them to separate ops where possible.” Angela was still not convinced that the outburst on the comms wasn’t a harbinger of greater instability. 

“I haven’t heard you argue for separating Hanzo from his brother, why would a relationship with Jesse be so different? Aren’t they better off for having each other, for having someone beside them who understands their life and their history? Trust me, Angela, once they work out the kinks, it will be a point in their favor to have them together, not the opposite.” 

“And what if it falls apart, Jack? Is the rest of their team obliged to suffer the fallout?” 

“What if they have a fight and blow up headquarters? That’s what you mean, isn’t it? Even though I’ve told you a hundred times that’s not what happened.” 

Ana’s dry voice came across the line then, breaking the rhythm of the argument between Jack and Angela. “Jack’s right. They are well-grown men, less inclined to the volatility of youth and with decades of training and method to fall back upon. Besides, prohibition or separation would only lead to secrecy and unhappiness. I, for one, would prefer to see them relaxed and happy instead of furtive and miserable. We would all be a lot safer.” 

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Ana wasn’t finished. 

“For the record, I felt the same about Jack and Gabriel.”

 

_Epilogue_

 

The door opened silently, just a couple of inches, and a slice of the hallway light cut into the darkness of the room, illuminating Jesse’s face on his pillow. The slice became a wedge, and then the door closed, with Jack on the inside this time. The room was quiet and still in the wee hours, only the rhythmic breath of the sleeping cowboy to save him from the silence of the subterranean bunker. 

Jack slid his hand under his own pillow and pulled out a tiny flashlight, turning it on and pointing it towards the wall, giving himself just enough light to see the shapes in the room and to avoid sitting down on Jesse’s hat where it lay in the middle of his bunk. He picked it up and hung it on the hook on the back of the door, then sat down to unlace his boots. He’d gotten one off and was in the middle of the second when he realized that Jesse had too many arms. Jack blinked, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing double. No, that was definitely another arm, smoother and more muscular than Jesse’s, tucked snugly around Jesse’s belly. Sighing, Jack started to put his boots back on again. It was probably better that he didn’t sleep tonight anyway. He was a little worried about what kind of dreams might come to him. 

He stopped in the canteen for another cup of coffee and headed for the briefing room. There was a lot less paperwork in this iteration of Overwatch, but there were still reports to be made and reviewed, and he could easily fill the time until dawn working. Better than lying in bed, fighting to suppress the memories of Gabe that kept coming to him unbidden. 

When dawn finally arrived aboveground, Jack had long since fallen asleep at the table, his head on his arms, his heart lost in the dream-memories of Gabriel Reyes’ embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> I started playing Overwatch because I fell for Hanzo in the HotS trailer, and then I discovered the McHanzo ship, and then was introduced to R76. I can't help but be touched by all their stories and think that they're intertwined in a lot of ways. You'll probably find more R76 and McReyes popping up as we go forward with this McHanzo cycle (and there may or may not be separate works regarding the other ships--I don't know, I don't feel as linked with the other characters like I do with Hanzo, or as in love as I do with Jesse).
> 
> But! Just so you know. :) Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to my sounding board and occasional beta reader, Mary. (I know it's not Khadgar, but I <3 you for taking the time anyway.)


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